Correct order of precedence for American Flag and U.S. military service flags.A joint color guard carries the U.S. Flag, Army Service Flag, Marine Corps Flag, Navy Service Flag, Air Force Service Flag, Coast Guard Service Flag.

Jeremiah McCloud is a freelance writer, marketing consultant, and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He joined the Marines in 2001, and attained the rank of Sergeant before attending the U.S. Naval Academy. After graduating from the Naval Academy, he served as a Marine Corps signals intelligence officer, and deployed to Afghanistan as part of a foreign military advisor team. Jeremiah writes on a range of topics including military lifestyle, politics, marketing, and strategy.

“The order of precedence when displaying military flags together is Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. Except that Coast Guard moves up right behind Navy when the Coast Guard serves as a service of the Dept of the Navy in time of war. The basic citation is Department of Defense Directive 1005.8”

In regards to the reason – some say its because the Coast Guard was not “part of the big four” – even though they are older than the Air Force.